Portrait Anna Pitjara Anna Pitjara (Petyarre) was born around 1965. Her mother was the late Glory Ngarla / Ngale, Ngala and her aunt the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Anna is married to Colin Price. They divide their time between Alice Springs, Adelaide and Mulga Bore, an outstation at Utopia. The couple has two daughters and one son. Anna and Colin are also grandparents, with five grandchildren. Anna’s native language is Anmatyerre but she is also fluent in English. Her country is Alhalkere in the area of Atnelyeye – Boundary Bore. Showing a remarkable talent, Anna started painting in her early childhood and was taught to paint under the guidance of her cousin Gloria Petyarre. Anna produced batik before she started full-time painting when the medium of canvas and acrylic paints was introduced in the community of Utopia in the early 1980s. Anna began selling her paintings in 1996. Anna continues “to “look after” the Dreamings of her grandfather and her parent’s countries from the Boundary Bore region, among them Wild flowers, Emu, Salt Lake, Medicine Leaves, Sand Hills and above all the Bush Yam and Bush Yam Seed Dreaming. As a respected traditional owner Anna engages in sacred ceremonies and paints the bodies of the dancers before the beginning of “ceremony”. Artistic interpretations of these ceremonies and the preparation thereof are reflected in a number of her paintings on canvas namely entitled “Women’s Body Paint” designs. Anna uses a very fine dotting technique to represent landscape, often showing dried salt plains that have formed in the course of time. Large water holes are created following the heavy rains of the monsoon season. When the water evaporates leaving the salt behind undulating features become visible which Anna takes the utmost care to represent in her paintings. As a major representative of Utopia art Anna always endeavours to bring the sensitivity of her culture onto canvas. She is an extremely versatile artist working in several unique styles using bright and vibrant colours for her Yam Seed and Body Painting canvasses, or black and white for her Salt Lake and Sand Hill paintings. She also depicts the Sand Hills in the rich red and ochre colours of the sand and clay of Utopia. Anna’s works have been extensively exhibited and collected all over Australia and overseas including countries like the USA, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore, France, Germany, Poland and Denmark. Copyright 2012-2013 The Aboriginal Art House